Complementary and Integrative Medicine

Introduction

Many Americans use medical treatments that are not part of mainstream medicine. This type of care may be called complementary, integrative, or alternative medicine. Complementary medicine is used together with mainstream medical care. An example is using acupuncture to help with the side effects of cancer treatment. When healthcare providers and facilities offer both types of care, it is called integrative medicine. Alternative medicine would be used instead of mainstream medical care.

The claims that practitioners make about their benefits can sound promising. However, researchers do not know how safe many of these treatments are or how well they work. Studies are underway to determine the safety and usefulness of many of these practices. To minimize the health risks of a non-mainstream treatment

Discuss it with your doctor. It might have side effects or interact with other medicines.

Find out what the research says about it.

Choose practitioners carefully.

Tell all of your doctors and practitioners about all of the different types of treatments you are using.

Note: This topic was prepared to help consumers find reliable health resources on the web. This site is not responsible for the information on other sites. The information here — and on all websites — is not intended to be a substitute for care given to you by a health professional.

The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health is one of the institutes and centers that make up the National Institutes of Health (NIH). NCCIH's mission is to support rigorous research, to train researchers and to disseminate information to the public and professionals on which modalities work, which do not, and why.